Cauliflower is a wonderful substitute for mashed potatoes! But often times it turns out more like a runny puree than thick creamy potatoes. With these few simple tricks you can preserve the nutrition of the cauliflower AND have a mashed potato-like consistency that will satisfy even the most skeptical critic.

One of the main reasons many people do not enjoy cauliflower is because it is often improperly cooked and overcooked, which makes it mushy and smelly… like rotten eggs, which is not exactly appetizing. We all know that cauliflower is healthy for us to eat, but for most, you won’t find this on the weekly grocery list. Cauliflower is best known for it’s anti-cancer properties. It’s also high in vitamin C, which we can all use to help strengthen our immune system.

Follow these 3 simple tricks to make cauliflower work for you:

After you cut cauliflower into florets, let it sit 5-10 minutes to enhance the health benefits. This works for garlic too! Cutting into the cauliflower activates enzymes, which converts some of the nutrients into their active forms… intensifying the healing properties.

Sauté cauliflower. Both steaming and boiling increase it’s water absorption…which leads to a runny consistency. But this is the least of our worries, it loses flavor (ok, some might think this is a plus). Vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients are also greatly diminished. I think sautéing is actually easier anyway.

Cook for only 5 minutes. This will prevent it from becoming mushy and releasing the chemical compound that smells like rotten eggs. The more of this compound that is released the more intense the cauliflower flavor becomes. This is what people most often dislike.

The secret ingredient to really make these like mashed potatoes is coconut flour. Ok stay with me… I know this sounds odd, but this helps to really thicken the cauliflower up, while lending a slightly sweet flavor that gives it that potato taste. Coconut flour is also super high in fiber, which helps us to feel satisfied while eating less.

Directions

When the broth starts to steam, add the cauliflower and cover. Set timer for 5 minutes.

Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. Or if you don’t have a food processor add ingredients into a large bowl and mash with a potato masher.

If it doesn’t seem creamy enough just add more sour cream/yogurt or butter.

Quick notes

I really don’t measure. I just adjust it to my taste and consistency. If it tastes too much like cauliflower you need to add more pepper and a little more butter or sour cream/yogurt. It could also be because you overcooked it.

Phase 1 Friendly

Variations

If using fresh garlic, to mellow the flavor add it to the cauliflower during the last few minutes of cooking. Stir in pesto or a sprinkle of curry powder for a gourmet twist!

Number of servings (yield): 4

As you can see from the above tips, if a food is not properly prepared it can really be a turn-off. So keep an open mind and try preparing it the right way and you just might be surprised at how amazing it tastes!

I have been missing mashed potatoes, I love potatoes! I just made this recipe . . .
I used Organic chicken broth instead of vegetable.
I used about 5 T of Greek yogurt.
It was quite thick and dry so I added about 1/3 cup of almond milk.
Over all, adding and adjusting, I think I processed it in the food processor about 10 minutes because it was still quite granular in texture. The extra liquid made it much smoother. But my head of cauliflower was pretty big so maybe that was why.
They turned out very yummy! So happy!

Hi Janet, thanks for sharing your experience and reiterating the fact that if the head of cauliflower is bigger than a pound you might need to adjust the recipe. This really isn’t a recipe, but gives people an idea of what to start with to tailor it to their liking (taste and consistency). Thanks again this will help give everyone the confidence to adjust it, so it is perfect for them! Hugs, Kristin

I haven’t tried it, but I think the tapioca flour would create too gummy of a texture… but it might work. The coconut flour has a very unique characteristic of absorbing many times its weight, so it has incredible thickening power. You could leave the flour out all togehter, in fact that is how I ususally prepare it! It is not as thick like potatoes, but that doesn’t bother me a bit. Thanks Glenda!

I love this recipe too! This is the best tasting way to fix cauliflower that I have ever tasted! I don’t have a large food processor so I used a potato masher like you suggested, and it worked great! Thank you for explaining your recipes so well and giving all the tips on cooking them. It really makes a difference.

Kristin,
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I made it the other night and my children loved it!! It is so nice to have yummy recipes that are healthy for my family. Blessings to you for the work you are doing!

Hi Carole!! The majority of peanuts and grains, especially wheat and corn are contaminated with mycotoxins. So even though these items are disinfected of the fungus before they are made into food, organic or not, the mycotoxins are not able to be destroyed there for still in the food.

I like using almond butter instead. Although raw is a little healthier, the roasted tastes more like peanut butter. There are many other nut and seed butters that are delicious too!

I never tried cauliflower but purchased it yesterday and wanted to try mashed potatoes. Thank you for this delicious recipe! It looks really healthy and simple. I don’t have coconut flour so will need to go out and look around for that.

Hi there. I just discovered your site. I’m excited to look around more! Quick question about this recipe…

Is there a substitute for the yogurt/sour cream/butter? I was thinking to use earth balance organic spread instead of butter but wasn’t sure about the other dairy. I do eat dairy however we keep kosher (it pertains in this recipe as we don’t mix meat and dairy and we’ll be serving this with organic grass fed beef roast). If the sc/yogurt could be left out or substituted this would work perfectly!

I love mashed cauliflower and will try the coconut flour. I am not sure about sauteing though because I find the granular texture that you get from undercooking really turns me off; I’d rather have it a puree than like that.

Oh you sauté it long enough to be completely soft, so when it is puréed it’s silky smooth. The advantage of sautéing is that the vitamins and minerals stay in tact, as opposed to boiling they get transferred to the water and lost. Hope you enjoy!

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Thank you for your comments! I read each one and I cherish your opinions, feedback and ideas. With Love, Kristin

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